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London, 9 May 2017 – GBG, the identity data intelligence specialist today announced it has acquired PCA Predict (formerly Postcode Anywhere), a leading provider of UK and international address validation services, for £66m.

With over 9,000 customers, PCA processes millions of transactions every day for some of the world’s largest ecommerce companies. It’s also used to enhance the quality of data held within CRM systems and to improve user experience and customer conversion rates. With GBG’s unrivalled data partnerships, PCA’s technology will now be far easier to internationalise, offering frictionless billing and self-service capabilities in all the world’s key markets.

Delivered via an easy to deploy, self-serve SaaS (Software as a Service) platform, the functionality can be integrated in minutes. Additional services such as mobile phone number, email and card payment verification help to build a complete customer identity profile.

Shoppers expect retailers to know exactly where to deliver the products they’ve purchased. As ecommerce sites move towards same day delivery, speed and an effortless experience become the crucial differentiator. This requires improved identity and location data, delivered in real-time via the Cloud. And in regulated markets where identity verification is required, knowing that the given address actually exists is fundamental to protecting against identity fraud and crime.

The transaction combines PCA’s SaaS technology with GBG’s global address repository – available for over 190 countries – to create the world’s leading location intelligence platform. The acquisition brings together two complementary solutions as well as offering a full suite of deployment options to the combined customer base. The full product portfolio now includes:

PCA’s platform is equipped to handle high transaction volumes. This means GBG will be able to deliver extra capacity to customers at peak times much faster and more easily.

Chris Clark, CEO at GBG said: “The joining of PCA Predict and GBG is a very exciting prospect. There is a strong strategic and cultural fit in combining our capabilities which will bring significant benefit to our customers. PCA already serves many leading ecommerce companies who are transforming the way we shop and access services online. We are ideally placed to support their growth. Together with the fantastic team at PCA, we have the opportunity to accelerate our progress in this fast emerging market.”

Guy Mucklow, President at PCA Predict said: “We are really excited about becoming part of GBG. It brings together two highly successful, growth focused, businesses with complementary skills and similar cultures to create a world class technology company. The GBG team has a long history of integrating companies successfully; together we now have the very best knowledge and expertise in this sector.”

David Green, Managing Director of Location Intelligence at GBG added:“GBG has admired the work of the PCA Predict team for many years and we’re thrilled to welcome them into the GBG family. Our location intelligence solutions will fuel explosive growth of ecommerce and vertical market applications that are emerging from the transition to SaaS and Cloud computing. PCA will integrate with existing GBG capabilities developing a common global roadmap and technology platform.

“This technology is just the start of the customer journey. It provides a means for clients to access other GBG identity data intelligence services, delivered via the same SaaS model.”

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About GBG

GBG is a global specialist in Identity Data Intelligence. We help organisations make decisions about the customers they serve and the people they employ.

Through our fundamental belief that the digital economy relies on everyone having access to data they can trust, GBG enables companies and governments to fight fraud and cybercrime, to improve the customer experience and help to protect the more vulnerable people in our society.

Data quality tools include the validation of accurate addresses and locations, coupled with the verification of customer contact data that are critical to ecommerce process and global distribution of goods – GBG calls this ‘Location Intelligence’. Gartner estimates over 20 billion connected devices will be in use worldwide by 2020[1], all of which will both generate and require access to precise address and location intelligence.

Headquartered in Chester (UK) and now with 27 locations in 16 countries, GBG provides solutions to many of the world’s biggest organisations, from established brands like HSBC and Zurich Insurance to disruptive newcomers such as Xpress Money and Stripe.

[1] Source: ‘Gartner Says 8.4 Billion Connected "Things" Will Be in Use in 2017, Up 31 Percent From 2016’ – www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3598917

About PCA Predict

PCA Predict works with a range of international businesses to improve user experience, increase online conversions and provide excellent data quality. Long checkout forms are a common problem, and often one of the main reasons for cart abandonment. PCA Predict’s checkout optimisation tools remove friction on web forms, making it quicker and easier for customers to auto-complete addresses while capturing valid email, mobile numbers and delivery addresses in real-time. Around 88% of companies say that dirty data has a direct impact on the bottom line; PCA Predict can help improve data quality by verifying customer contact details at the point of entry e.g. during the checkout process.

Founded in 2001, the SaaS company has continuously worked to create innovative web services that help deliver exceptional online experiences. Today, over 11,000 trust PCA Predict’s market-leading optimisation and data cleansing tools including ASOS, Tesco and Nescafe.